1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to the improvement of performance in rhythmic sports activities, particularly golf, through audible prompting of the user thereof. A visual display showing a stick golfing figure is included to facilitate golfing use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The game of golf is a gentle sport of men and women throughout the world. However, the sport's amiable nature belies the challenge that awaits those who engage in golf for recreation. Hitting a small ball very hard with a stick as far and as accurately as one can into a small hole in the ground hundreds of yards away proves to be a challenge even to the most accomplished golfer.
For this reason, many inventors have constructed means by which the most important part of the game, the golf stroke, can be improved.
Visual aids in improving the golf swing have a long history and are known in the art. Richter's INSTRUCTION DEVICE, U.S. Pat. No. 1,558,762 is an example of a mirror system with accompanying pictures of proper golf swing form. Casey's INSTRUCTION DEVICE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,457 integrates visual form cues superimposed upon a convex mirror.
Devices have been incorporated into sports equipment in order to help the athlete improve his/her performance by rewarding the athlete by responding to proper activity. Barthol's PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAINING DEVICE FOR A SPORT, U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,076 emits a visible flash of light when a baseball or golf ball is correctly hit. Davis, GOLF SWING PRACTICE CLUB, U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,419, gives a satisfying click when the practice club is properly swung.
Other means are also available to the golfer to improve the swing of the golf club. Lorang's GOLF SWING WRIST ACTION TRAINING APPARATUS, U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,812 discloses a physical attachment to the golfer's club in order to help the golfer properly move the wrists. While the movement (cocking and uncocking) of the wrists is a significant portion of the golf swing, Lorang does not deal with the significant motion of the arms, legs, hips, shoulders, torso and head.
In Fink's PHYSICAL TRAINING SYSTEM, U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,707, there is disclosed a device to train both muscular activity and muscular exertion by varying respectively frequency and intensity of an audible signal. Not only does Fink's system require pre-programming, but it is useful almost exclusively to one, unique individual, preventing the sharing of such a device as there is no possible adjustment of the emitted audio signal. Also, Fink is not goal directed as it does not signal certain actions being accomplished (such as the end of a golfer's backswing), but instead is more directly related to the process of the golf swing, prompting certain activity directly, namely, muscle activity and exertion.
All of the aforementioned U.S. patents have some bearing on the art of improving a golfer's swing. However, none of them directly addresses the crucial element of the timing of the golfer's swing. The sports timing aid disclosed and claimed herein addresses that omission while also allowing flexible application to non-golf related, yet rhythmic, sports activities.
In many sports, rhythmic activity acts as a basis for the recreation or sport engaged in. This is true for golf, tennis, bowling, bicycling, jogging and aerobics. Further, engaging in or strictly following a rhythm during sports play may enhance performance in sports activities. When an athlete can easily follow the natural rhythm his or her body engages in when in competition or while playing the sport, performance may be enhanced and subsequent enjoyment of the game or sport increased. Audible prompting of the athlete or player through rhythmic signals is a means of accomplishing this.
In golfing, many players experience inhibited performance due to poor golf club swings resulting from poor form in swinging the golf club. Poor form in golf club swings can result from the lack of rhythmic swinging of the golf club.
When a golf club is swung properly, the time of the backswing is the same as the time of the foreswing to the moment of impact of the golf club with the ball. Many golfers may take too short of a back swing or rush their foreswing such that the golf club swing as a whole is out of kilter. This results in poor golf ball control and poor driving of the golf ball down the course, as well as much frustration on the part of the golfer.
Conscious effort on the part of the golfer to achieve a rhythmically balanced club swing may be very elusive without being much help. The sports timing aid disclosed herein allows the golfer to more easily attain a temporally balanced golf club swing, thereby enhancing performance and satisfaction with the game.
For tennis, the serve of the tennis ball is very much like that of the drive of the golf ball in golfing. The backswing of the service and the time from the end of the backswing to impact with the tennis ball should be the same. In order to help maintain that rhythmic constancy, the sports timing aid can be used to help those who have poor tennis service swings.
Likewise, for bowling as in golf and tennis, the delivery of the bowling ball down the bowling alley comprises a rhythmic swing that can be improved by the sports timing aid when the delivery is rushed or unbalanced.
In bicycling, rhythmic pedal strokes can enhance the speed of the rider as well as condition the rider as when the same rhythm is maintained along a long level path or while climbing an incline. Due to the distractions of the rider's physical effort, surrounding and/or inattentiveness, it may be difficult for a bicyclist to maintain a rhythm while cycling. Use of a sports timing aid such as the one disclosed allows the bicyclist to overcome these obstacles while riding a bicycle.
As for bicycling, joggers and runners can use the sports timing aid to enhance performance by maintaining a rhythmic stride while overcoming distractions that tend to break rhythm in the stride.
As for bicycling and running, aerobic activity and low impact exercise may be enhanced by following a consistent rhythm that would otherwise be difficult to maintain in the face of fatigue.
As the game of golf enjoys a well-established history, many prior art attempts at helping the golfer achieve his/her optimum swing exist. However, none of these allow the golfer the advantageous combination encompassed by the sports timing aid disclosed herein. Further, such prior art devices generally do not have applications outside the sport of golf as does the sports timing aid of this invention. In conclusion, whatever the precise merits, features and advantages of the above cited references, none of them achieves or fulfills the purposes of the sports timing aid of the current invention.